Leadership Basics

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_ What is Leadership

Leadership Quotes
Leadership is the process of directing, guiding and influencing others towards a specific goal.

Leadership is the ability to influence others. Leaders are needed to develop the vision for the group to aim for and achieve, the leader also organises the group and motivates them towards this vision.

“A leader’s role is to raise people’s aspirations for what they can become and to release their energies so they will try to get there.”
David R Gergen

Leadership characteristics

  1. An inter-personal process of guiding and influencing others towards a goal.

  2. A group process involving the interaction of 2 or more people.

  3. The shaping of a group towards a set vision.

  4. Situation bound. No set type of leadership style if best for every situation.

“When I give a minister an order, I leave it to him to find the means to carry it out.”
Napoleon Bonaparte

Leadership Styles

  1. Autocratic Do not consult their team. Allows making quick decisions.

  2. Democratic Take input from team before making decisions, amount of input can vary.

  3. Laissez-faire Allow the team to make most of the decisions without interference.

“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.”
Theodore M. Hesburgh

Leadership Skills

  1. Lead By Example. Pitch in where needed, Follow the same rules and standards you expect of you team.

  2. Passion. Show your passion, let your team see you care about the vision and show them why they should care too

  3. Be Organized. Lack of organization is a big killer of productivity and quality.

  4. Delegate. A great leader makes sure the right people are doing the right jobs.

  5. Take Responsibility. The team relies on you to take responsibility of the big picture so they can focus on their individual task without worry.

  6. Communicate . Your team must always know where they are going and what they are doing. A team cant function properly without certainty in their direction.

  7. Be Honest. Saying the easy thing may save you in the short term but you are hurting your team and their ability to reach the goal without honesty.

  8. Great Listener. Listen to your team, they are the closest people to the project and understand it best, they will often be the first to spot a problem and should be taken seriously.

  9. Know Your People. The difference you can make by having the right people doing the right tasks is huge, having people do tasks that does not suit their skill set will hurt both moral and quality.
“Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them.”
Paul Hawken

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